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Elvira Scorgie

A woman of many talents, Elvira Scorgie was an authority on the history of the town of Harvard. Her research is archived at the Harvard Historical Society.

250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party

Elijah Houghton, a Boston Tea Party participant, is buried in the Center Cemetery off the Harvard Common. We are celebrating the Tea Party and Elijah Houghton’s part in the “Destruction of the Tea.”

The Harvard Historical Society Meeting House

In 1966, the Harvard Historical Society purchased the former Still River Baptist Church. Until then, the Historical Society had been using the Hapgood Room and attic of the public library.

Harvard Shaker Village

Harvard Shaker Village Historic District is a historical Shaker community located on Shaker Road, South Shaker Road, and Maple Lane.

Shakers South Family Stone Barn

The Shaker Stone Barn was built in 1835. Located at 101 South Shaker Road, the barn is now a ruin, but some of its most significant and striking masonry features still remain.

Dried Apple Cake

Dried apple cake is a delicious dessert made with dried apple pieces as one of its main ingredients. It’s a popular treat that combines the sweet and slightly tangy flavor of dried apples with the moist and spiced cake batter.

Shaker Recipes

The Harvard Historical Society organizes open houses regularly. In June 2022, the members prepared a few Shaker Recipes that could be tasted during a special “Shaker Open House”.

In Memoriam Doug Cregar

Doug Cregar died on Sept. 26, 2021, at the age of 56 at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston. A lifelong resident of Harvard, Doug was knowledgeable and passionate about the town’s history. His contributions to the society as a board member and as president were numerous and significant.
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Othello

Othello, who had been given his freedom, remained a faithful servant to Colonel Henry Bromfield.

Simon Stone

Simon Stone, born c.1686, was a founding father of Harvard and served in town government.

Peter Atherton

Peter Atherton was Harvard’s first town clerk, and in that role, he entered the first records in the town books.

Houses now and then

In 2022, Bromfield senior Julian Iverson took current pictures of historical houses in Harvard, framing the pictures as close as possible to old photographs from HHS archives.

Historical Places

A tour of the historical places in Harvard: the Common, the Shaker Village, Fruitlands, and more…

Hildreth Second Graders Become Town Historians

In June, the Hildreth Elementary School second-graders, their teachers, and some parents came to the Harvard Historical Society’s Meetinghouse and to the Harvard Common to do some hands-on learning about town history.

Museum Shop

Support the Society by purchasing cards, prints, and other items related to Harvard’s history.

Museum

In our main building, formerly a Baptist church, we have a large collection of furniture, textiles, paintings, and artifacts, all illustrative of Harvard’s past.

Florence (Burt) Haskell

Flora was inspired to join the Civil War effort as a nurse and serve under Dorothea Dix, who was recruiting for an all-female corps of nurses.

Rev. Daniel Johnson

Rev. Daniel Johnson, Harvard’s third minister, added more than 90 members to the church.

William Henry Hall

William Henry Hall, a person of color, born in Harvard on March 26, 1842, worked as a farmer and day laborer. He served in the Union Army.

Harvard Cemeteries

There are three cemeteries in Harvard: the original burying ground, known as the Center Cemetery, the Bellevue Cemetery, and the Shaker Cemetery, also referred to as the Lollipop Cemetery.

Center Cemetery Tour

This tour explores the town through the graves of some of the people who shaped its history: Founding Fathers Simon Stone and Peter Atherton, the manservant Othello, Civil War soldier William Henry Hall, stonecutter Isaac Stone, philanthropist Margaret Blanchard, and adventurer William Savage.

Events

Learn about upcoming events at the Harvard Historical Society or relive past events. Watch the pictures or the video record when available.

The Creation of the Wachusett Reservoir

Ed Sterling from Bolton has had a lifelong interest in history, especially that of trains and railroads. He has studied the history of the Central Mass Railroad extensively and the role it played in the building of the Wachusett Reservoir.

The 1870 George Stevens Pipe Organ

“What began as stewardship led to the discovery of a historic gem that should be restored and preserved.”
— Denis Wagner, former president and current board member of the Harvard Historical Society.

Harvard Churches

Harvard’s first meetinghouse, for civil as well as religious purposes, was built near the top of the Common in 1733. It was followed by a second meetinghouse and three Unitarian church buildings, all on the same approximate site.

Recitals

We are inviting musicians to play the organ. Contact the Curator to schedule your own experience with this unique and historic instrument.

Harvard History

The town of Harvard, Massachusetts, incorporated in 1732, has a rich history of social and religious experimental communities.

Harvard Buildings

Learn about the town of Harvard, Massachusetts, through its many historic buildings and the people who were involved in their construction.

The Organ

In 1966, The Harvard Historical Society purchased the Still River Baptist Church. With the purchase of the building came a pipe organ that dominates the western wall of the sanctuary.

People from Harvard

Over the years, the town of Harvard has been home to a number of notable historical figures, including Louisa Alcott, Peter Atherton, and William Bowles Willard. Learn more about the people who have called Harvard home.

Carlene Philips

Carlene Phillips has been a writer for the Harvard Press and is the co-author of two historical biographies for young adults.

Joe Theriault

Joe Theriault has been an invaluable member of the Harvard community as a historian, preservation activist, author, editor, and speaker

Sandbox – Article

On September 15th, 2022, the Harvard Historical Society hosted the Harvard Fire Department for a program featuring a film created by Harvard resident producer/filmmaker, Robert Curran. The evening opened with the arrival of “Antiquey,” driven by Lt. Tony Shaw, and Engine 1, at the front of the Meetinghouse.

Firefighting, Past and Present

The Harvard Historical Society hosted the Harvard Fire Department to clebrate the department’s 100th anniversary. The program featured a film created by Harvard resident, producer/filmmaker, and firefighter, Robert Curran. The evening opened with the arrival of “Antiquey,” driven by Lt. Tony Shaw, and Engine 1 at the front of the Meetinghouse.

Shaker Open House

Open House at the Harvard Historical Society featuring our permanent Shaker Collection and a unique Shaker desk on loan to the society. The members prepared a few Shaker Recipes that could be tasted during this event.

Shaker Hidden Treasure

People were invited to admire a newly arrived Shaker Desk, on loan to the society, and learn about two special Shakers who might have used it.

Organ Recital by Gavin Klein

Gavin Klein was artist-in-residence at the society from 2020 to 2022, keeping the newly restored 1870 Stevens organ in tune and in use.

Autoneers Frostbite Tour

On Sunday, October 17, the Autoneers Frostbite Tour went through Harvard, and drivers stopped briefly at the Historical Society to view the building and collections. Their antique cars parked outside the meetinghouse created an authentic scene from the early 20th century.

L’Acadie!

Joe Theriault’s talk related the story of Acadia, the first French colony to be settled in North America, and the unwilling role that the Lancaster militia, with some Harvard members, played in Acadian history.

A Common History Day

On September 25, 2021, we celebrated the unique history of the Harvard Common: the people, places, and events that help tell the story of Harvard’s identity. The program took place on the Common.